Erlkönig (the redo)
by Gallade
Summary: Here it is, reuploaded and edited to meet regulations! When Choji and Shikamaru ditch Ino one too many times, it's up to her to figure out why, and what she finds is shocking. Just a sweet InoShikaCho friendship oneshot. Based on a headcanon of mine.


**Hello everyone!  
**

**Originally I had this story up for a few days, but I received a warning about the use of lyrics. I went in and deleted them and forgot a single line and the entire story ended up getting removed. Moral of the story: don't use lyrics at all! Don't do it or you'll be sorry :( This version is the lyric-free redo.**

**Anyways, this goes along with a headcanon of mine and the idea for the story popped into my head. I ended up writing this in the span of a few hours, so here it is! **

**The standard disclaimer, I don't own Naruto, but Kishimoto is one brilliant man. **

**Also, the song in this fic is Erlk****ö**nig by Franz Schubert, and I highly recommend it! It's beautiful and you don't have to listen to it if you don't want to, but Schubert is wonderful and hearing it would really help you to understand what Ino is feeling. 

**So here it is, Erlkönig! Hope you enjoy  
**

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**Erlk****ö**nig

The first time Shikamaru and Choji had skipped out on hanging out with her, Ino shrugged it off. Sure, it hurt a little to be forgotten about, but knowing her two friends they had probably fallen asleep, as was not uncommon.

The second time they ditched her that month was a little ridiculous. Forgetting once was fine, and it was realistic. Twice was pushing it.

The third time they left her hanging, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands. They should have known better than to mess with Ino Yamanaka and her amazing detective skills. She had her ways of finding out even the most heavily guarded secrets, and this would not go undiscovered.

That's what led her to spy on the two of them that day. Some might call it stalking, but she preferred the term 'gathering information.' She was going to get to the bottom of this if it would kill her. No one stood up Ino Yamanaka.

Hiding in the trees around the Akimichi household proved useless. Her teammates weren't there, which meant that it was time to move on to the Nara compound. When she was perched in a tall tree, she could see the two of them through a window. Doing nothing in particular.

The two of them were rifling through papers, but other than that... Nothing.

Those jerks! They had been ditching her just to hang out without her?! Why, a room without Ino was a sad room indeed. She was the life of the party, the dazzling spotlight of any occasion! People were lucky to spend time with her, and if the guys would rather be without her, well... That was just unthinkable! She'd show them how wrong they were!

She narrowed her eyes, watching silently as the two of them stood up from their spots, holding neat stacks of paper and smiling about something. They turned and walked out of her sight. Groaning frustratedly, Ino folded her arms and frowned. They wouldn't escape. She'd get to the bottom of this!

She dropped to the ground swiftly and silently, heading to the back entrance by the garden. She'd been here countless times, and she knew that this door was always unlocked. Looking both ways to make sure she wasn't being watched or followed, she opened the door and closed it quietly behind her.

She found herself in the back mudroom. Smiling deviously, she chuckled to herself. This would be too easy! She turned around and tiptoed to the door that led to the living room the boys had been in. The Nara compound was large, seeing as the family was one of the more prominent clans in Konoha. Because of her family's close ties with the Naras and the Akimichis, she'd spent countless hours playing with Shikamaru in this very house. Yes, she knew her way around this house as if it was her own.

She found the living room to be empty. Frustrated, she took in a deep breath. They wouldn't get away! Not if she could help it. They were about to get the scolding of the century. No one stands up Ino Yamanaka and gets away with it!

She was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of piano coming from the next room. Pausing and momentarily forgetting all of the vengeance she would wreak, she went over to the door. Placing her ear against it to listen, she could hear the piano much more clearly.

The sound of beautiful scales filled her ears, and for a minute she had completely forgotten why she was here. Her new mission was to just listen and take in the melodic piano music.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the door, ear still pressed against it. The melody was nothing in particular as far as she could tell. It sounded like the player was warming up with arpeggios and little exercises that would make the fingers nimble.

The music stopped and silence replaced it. Ino opened her eyes and pressed her ear harder to the door. She heard a familiar, although muffled, voice and immediately knew who it belonged to.

Shikamaru was _definitely_ in there.

An enthusiastic reply that could only have come from Choji was audible, and immediately Ino was put back on track with her original mission. She _needed_ to find out what they were doing in there. Standing up, she reached for the doorknob but hesitated, hearing the piano start up again.

This time it was not as melodious as the first. The right hand plunked out a string of notes in quick succession, staying on the same pitch and setting the tempo. The left hand, on the bassline, came in at regular intervals to play a more melodic line, sounding mysterious and dark.

It was captivating.

Ino heard the piano repeat its melody a few times before a strong male voice joined in.

_Wait, what language was that?! German?_

Ino felt chills along her spine as the man singing let loose his powerful voice. He sounded like an opera singer in his volume, power, and his vibrato.

That sweet vibrato was quite literally music to the blond kunoichi's ears. She sighed and closed her eyes, a smile forming on her face. This music was enough to make her melt. She just _had_ to know who was doing this!

She opened her eyes and reached for the doorknob but stopped, realizing that as soon as she turned it the music would stop. She paused and stopped herself from opening it, instead taking the opportunity to listen some more. Perhaps she'd wait and take the time to enjoy this beautiful gift.

Sometimes you have to put aside your selfish desires and just let something go for the benefit of others.

Ino listened in again, sighing contently. She couldn't make out the words of the German lieder, as she didn't speak the language, but it was beautiful. The words danced off the tongue of the singer so intricately and precisely.

She let herself get lost in the music for a while.

...

...

...

The last of the chills made their way up and down the length of her spine, the piano plunking the last of its notes, and the room fell silent. Ino's ears rung with the absence of sound, bringing her back into the reality of the room. She just _had_ to see who was responsible for this eerily beautiful tune that would surely haunt her for times to come.

She reached the doorknob and turned it, opening the door and entering the room. She didn't know what she expected, but she was sure this wasn't it.

Shikamaru was sitting on the piano bench, hands still resting on the keys. His eyebrows were firmly knit, raised into a look of surprise. Clearly he wasn't expecting any troublesome interruptions.

Choji was standing by the piano, a look of pure shock on his face. He had his hand on his chest, which was rising and falling rapidly.

"Ino, what are you doing here?!" Shikamaru asked, sounding mildly annoyed.

"You scared me!" Choji exclaimed breathlessly.

"Who was singing?!" Ino cried looking around the room. There was no one there but Shikamaru and Choji. "I know I just heard music!"

Shikamaru and Choji exchanged glances, the latter looking worried.

"It's okay Choj'," Shikamaru reassured softly. "No need to fret." Choji gave Ino a hesitant glance.

Ino put her hands on her hips. They were being way too secretive about this and she wanted to know, dammit!

"Who was singing?" Ino demanded. "I don't see anyone in here but you two."

Then it dawned on her. Shikamaru was still at the piano, his fingers still resting on the keys. Choji was still leaning over the side of the piano, a stack of paper in front of him. How had she not noticed before?

_They were the ones creating that beautiful music?!_

"You... _YOU_?" Ino stuttered, pointing a finger at the both of them. Her eyes were wide with realization.

Shikamaru stood up from the piano bench and walked over to Ino. He grabbed the hand that was pointing at them so accusingly and lowered it. "Yes, us," he said simply. "Now stop freaking out, alright? You're really making Choji anxious."

Ino's widened eyes darted over to the other shinobi, who was standing by the piano, looking mortified. His eyes were wide and his breathing hadn't slowed any.

"Choji, it's alright," Ino said, finding her voice. She wasn't sure what else to say to calm him, but that was the first coherent thought that surfaced.

Shikamaru shut the door behind Ino and motioned for her to follow him over to the piano. She did so, silently wondering what to say next. She had known these two all her life, there was no way they could have been hiding such talents all this time. What else were they hiding from her?

Then again... never once had she heard Choji sing, or Shikamaru for that matter. She never saw either of them even touch a musical instrument. There was no way for her to know up until now.

"What's the big secret?" Ino asked. "Were you two behind that beautiful music I heard?"

Shikamaru nodded. Choji began to protest in response to Shikamaru's disclosure, but the spiky-haired ninja put a gentle hand on Choji's shoulder. "It's alright if she knows," he said.

Ino raised an eyebrow. None of this was making sense. Why _wouldn't_ it be okay?

She voiced her thoughts exactly. "Why shouldn't I know? Choji, was that you singing?"

Choji looked at Shikamaru, a reluctant look in his eyes. Shikamaru nodded at him. Choji's dark eyes met Ino's sapphire blue ones.

"Yes," he admitted.

Ino felt another tingle along her spine, akin to the ones his song had produced.

"And you, Shikamaru, you were playing the piano?"

Shikamaru nodded without a word.

Ino frowned and yanked her hand free from Shikamaru's grip. "Why the hell did you guys keep this a secret from me?!" She cried, sounding hurt.

Choji sighed and cleared his throat. "Don't sound so hurt, Ino, no one knows," he said. "I wanted to keep this a secret from everyone from the start. You're only the second one to find out."

"The second? Who is the first?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Yours truly," he said.

Ino blinked a few times, trying to make sense of all of this new information that had her head spinning.

"Maybe it would be best to start from the top," Shikamaru suggested.

Ino crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"I found out by accident," Shikamaru began. "It happened quite like this actually. I headed over to Choji's house one day to hang out, and his mom let me inside and told me that he was in his room. When I got up there, I overheard him singing to himself and I vowed to teach myself piano so I could be his accompaniment."

Ino felt herself smile involuntarily. It _was_ a really sweet thing for Shikamaru to do. "

So why all of this secrecy?" She asked, genuinely curious. "You two have an amazing talent, why not share it with the world?"

"I get really anxious if anyone can hear me," Choji admitted. "I wasn't thrilled when Shikamaru found out, and I trust him with everything. You have to SWEAR not to tell," he urged.

"But you're amazing! Everyone needs to know about this! You'll be famous!"

"Ino..." Shikamaru warned.

Ino looked between the two of them. Shikamaru was shooting death glares at her. "Ino, you have to promise to keep this secret, for Choji's sake. Now that you know, we're trusting you to keep quiet about it."

"But..."

"No buts. Do this for Choji."

Ino looked at Choji, her expression softening. Choji's eyes were pleading for her understanding, the rest of his face twisted into a look of unease.

He was really serious about this staying secret, she realized.

He looked positively terrified. She'd never seen him so scared before. If it caused him this much anxiety just thinking about others knowing, she couldn't imagine the pain she would inflict if she broke his trust and revealed his secret.

Any trace of defiance left her face, leaving calm acceptance to replace it. She smiled at her friends, her cerulean eyes sparkling with understanding.

"This will stay between us, I promise."

...

Maybe just this once, Ino Yamanaka the gossip queen would keep this secret to herself.

She would do it for the ones she cared about.

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**There you have it! Hope you enjoyed! **

**I have a whole list of headcanons (well, more like character quirks that I came up with) for almost everyone in Naruto. This was one of them that I particularly liked, that Choji has a beautiful operatic singing voice that he keeps secret, and when Shikamaru found out, he taught himself to play piano to accompany his friend. **

**Reviews are much appreciated! ^_^ thank you! -Gallade**


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